Archives for July 2008

The McCain campaign can start drinking heavily:

The major Sunni sheik who John McCain said was protected by the surge and subsequently helped lead the Anbar Awakening, was actually assassinated by an al-Qaeda led group in midst of the surge.

On Tuesday evening, McCain falsely claimed that the downturn in violence in Iraq’s Anbar province was a result of the surge, when in fact the surge began months afterward. Moreover, he said, if it weren’t for the work of U.S. forces, the major Sunni figure leading that awakening wouldn’t have had the protection he needed.

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The Arizona Republican’s campaign went further the next day, claiming that the major figures that turned around Anbar province would have been killed had the surge policy not been in place. “If Barack Obama had had his way, the Sheiks who started the Awakening would have been murdered at the hands of al Qaeda,” said spokesman Tucker Bounds.

Sadly, that murder took place even with the surge underway. In September 2007, Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, the sheik widely credited with persuading Sunni leaders to turn against al Qaeda in Iraq, died in a bomb attack in Anbar. His work, prior to then, was held as a major effort in transforming the province from one of Iraq’s deadliest areas into one of its safest.

This has gone from a serious campaign into something of a hybrid modern art masterpiece/comedy sketch. To call the McCain campaign a train wreck is to portray it too positively. Seriously, all these self-inflicted wounds this week are on his strong topic. On his weak topic, the economy, he tries to go to an oil rig to get some press attention, and has to cancel because of an oil spill and a hurricane.

*** Update ***

Off topic but not worthy of a separate post, I have a super hot scoop for Patrick Ruffini– sometimes, when foreign companies advertise their products in the United States, they use English, and not their native tongue, as you would have thought. It turns out that if you are Volkswagen, and you are wanting to reach people in the US, you should use English rather than German. I know, I know, that sounds crazy, but it is true.

Also, they even pronounce Volkswagen differently here in the states! I am sure there is a story in there somewhere.

It Is Now OfficialPost + Comments (89)

All of a sudden the asinine Holocaust remarks from Tucker Bounds and Goldfarb make more sense:

Barack Obama has caught up to John McCain in Florida. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds Obama with a statistically insignificant one-point advantage over his rival, 46% to 45%. When “leaners” are included, the Democrat leads 49% to 47%.

Over the past six months, McCain has maintained leads ranging from seven to sixteen percentage points. Last month, McCain led 48% to 41% in the Sunshine State.

A big push for Obama this month in Florida comes from unaffiliated voters. Last month, he had just a three-point lead in this demographic. This month, he leads by twenty-three.

You can almost hear them at McCain HQ- “Oh, shit. We are losing Florida. Time to scare the shit out of the Jews.”

Now It Makes More SensePost + Comments (28)

This is just win:

While Barack Obama is speaking about international affairs in Germany before thousands of fans tomorrow, John McCain will be talking about a pressing domestic issue with an equally striking if very different backdrop.

Weather permitting, McCain will helicopter from Louisiana to an oil rig in the Gulf Coast to make the case for expanded off-shore drilling, says a McCain aide.

While Obama is speaking to an international audience, McCain will be dodging a hurricane to stand on the symbol of big oil, where he can presumably tell the American people that if we start looking for more oil offshore, in ten years when McCain is 82 we might be able to start producing enough to lower the price of gas a nickel.

And then there is this winning art design:

Nothing says peace, prosperity, and optimism like fire-red skies and fighter planes. How much is the Obama campaign paying Steve Schmidt?

*** Update ***

Dr. Melissa Clouthier is going to shit a pink twinkie when she sees the McCain poster.

*** Update #2 ***

Awesome timing for the oil-rig stunt, McSame:

The U.S. Coast Guard has closed 29 miles of the Mississippi River from New Orleans southward after a tanker and a barge collided, spilling more than 400,000 gallons of fuel oil into the river.

Tugboats hold up pieces of a barge after it collided with a tanker Wednesday in the Mississippi River in New Orleans.

The river, a major shipping route between the Midwest and Gulf of Mexico, could be closed for days during the cleanup, the Coast Guard said Wednesday.

More than 30 ships already are queued up along the river, waiting to pass through the closed zone, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jaclyn Young said.

The Coast Guard has deployed 45,000 feet of inflatable booms to contain the spill and is lining up another 29,000 feet, but it could be days before the river is reopened, she said.

The accident left a sheen over 90 percent of the area, she said.

At what point does the McCain campaign staff just start drinking heavily?

Not a Bad MoviePost + Comments (106)

Today’s new “new low” from McCain spokesmen Tucker Bounds and wingnut extraordinaire Michael Godfarb, on loan to the Bullshit Express from the Weekly Standard:

The McCain campaign implied on Wednesday that Barack Obama’s commitment to preventing a future genocide was not sincere, attacking the Democratic candidate during his appearance at the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem.

In an early morning press release, entitled “Obama on Genocide,” McCain aide Tucker Bounds emailed reporters a quote from Obama’s appearance in which the Illinois Democrat reiterated the cry “never again.” He followed that quote with one taken a year ago from an interview that the Senator gave with the Associated Press in which he said that genocide or humanitarian crises were not a prerequisite for keeping U.S. troops in Iraq (a statement he has since walked back)

“Well, look, if that’s the criteria by which we are making decisions on the deployment of U.S. forces,” said Obama, “then by that argument you would have 300,000 troops in the Congo right now.”

The message was fairly explicit: Obama’s commitment to stopping future Holocausts is in doubt. Asked for clarification, McCain aide Michael Goldfarb responded:

“Today he says ‘never again.’ A year ago stopping genocide wasn’t a good enough reason to keep U.S. forces in Iraq. Doesn’t that strike you as inconsistent?”

Other things Obama has not done enough to stop:

The Mummy IV
Future Savings and Loan Crises
Lunar Eclipses
Herpes Outbreaks
The earth being ravaged by a vengeful Army sent by the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Stupid shit being muttered in desperation by the McCain campaign

He Also Has Not Prevented Future Great DepressionsPost + Comments (69)